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October 21, 2005 10:45 PM

How much should I tip the guys who are coming to clean out my house?

I'm using a junk removal service tomorrow morning, and I have no idea how much to tip the two guys. Among the things they will be loading up and hauling away are: an old mattress/boxspring, an old dryer, an oversized chair, a small sofa, lots of cardboard boxes, a treadmill, some old air conditioners and lots of other random junk that has been in my house since I moved in.

According to my (own) estimate, the service should cost anywhere between 200 and 500 dollars. Do I just go with 10 percent? 10 percent each? I'm a very generous tipper in restaurants, but this kind of thing throws me off.

posted by krisptoria to home & garden (7 comments total)

I wouldn't. Waitstaff gets paid far below minimum wage. Professional movers are paid quite handsomely for their labor. Tipping isn't for everything. Cold drinks are always nice, though.
posted by cribcage at 10:49 PM on October 21, 2005

I'd say tip them not with money but food and cold drink if they look hungry or thirsty.

If you really like the work they did or you just can't let them go without giving them some cash, then it seems to me like anywhere from $5 to $20 each would be the norm. I guess it depends on how long it takes them and how courteous they are, and so on. But I don't think you should think of it as a percentage of the total bill.
posted by Rhomboid at 11:13 PM on October 21, 2005

PREVIOUSLY ON ASKME
posted by moift at 11:22 PM on October 21, 2005

When I was in your position, I just rounded up to the closest hour (which ended up being $20 or so each).
posted by cali at 11:32 PM on October 21, 2005

The closest thing the Original Tipping Page has is advice on tipping movers. That's probably pretty comparable to your situation.
posted by poorlydrawnplato at 8:18 AM on October 22, 2005

To latch on: What about a regular cleaning lady? She's part of a small service, so she probably doesn't get to keep the whole amount that we give her. Should we be giving her extra money every time? On special occassions? How much? The service costs $60 which is already a bit of a stretch for us.
posted by bonheur at 8:41 AM on October 22, 2005

i'd say twenty bucks for one or two of them, thirty for three. based on how nice they are, how quickly they get it done, and whether they take care not to scuff up your house. also, i'd add money if there are stairs involved.

they do get paid pretty well, though, so to me it's more of a "thought that counts" kind of tip, a reward for a job well done.
posted by mandlebrotz at 9:01 AM on October 22, 2005